May 19, 2011

Hawking: Heaven Is a Myth, But Hell Is Totally Real

PHYSICIST STEPHEN HAWKING WOULD LIKE TO AVOID HELL FOR AS LONG AS HE CAN.

In an interview this week with The Guardian newspaper, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking reiterated his belief that there is no such thing as Heaven, calling it a “fairy story,” but that Hell is very much an actual realm of existence in the afterlife.

“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail,” Mr. Hawking said.

“There is no heaven for broken down computers, that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,” he continued. “There is, however, a Hell. That is totally real.”

Mr. Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, says he is not looking forward to what the afterlife has to offer.

“I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years,” he said. “I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.

“Plus, Hell is a really awful place. I’d like to avoid it as long as I can.”

Hell, a place of endless pain and suffering for the damned, is known for its towers of flames and tortuous punishment.

“Gnashing of teeth, eternal fire, all that stuff is real,” said Mr. Hawking. “Did you know that your intestines turn into worms? Yuk.”

Mr. Hawking claims that the existence of God is not necessary to explain the creation of the universe, but that He does use his irrevocable judgement to send all human souls to Hell to suffer the consequences of sin.

“Traditionally, Hell if for the sinners of the world,” Mr. Hawking said. “But, let’s be honest, that’s everybody.”